New York Giants: Replacing Ereck Flowers Isn’t Easy
By Zac Wassink
Many fans would agree the New York Giants need to replace left tackle Ereck Flowers, but doing so isn’t as easy as it may appear.
New York Giants left tackle Ereck Flowers had a terrible 2016 NFL season. This isn’t the hottest of takes you’ll read during the winter. The #NotMyLeftTackle Twitter movement largely involves the 22-year-old who experienced an up-and-down rookie campaign before falling off a cliff during his second year with the Giants. This past December, Luke Kerr-Dineen of USA Today put Flowers on blast via social media posts and a downright disheartening graphic.
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It must first be pointed out the Giants aren’t getting rid of Flowers anytime soon. Per Spotrac, the contract attached to the 2015 first-round pick carries a dead cap value of over $8.5 million. New York head coach Ben McAdoo and company need to find a home on the team’s offensive line for Flowers between now and the summer months to get anything out of this investment.
With that said, Flowers was nothing shy of a liability at left tackle last season. To put it nicely, his technique needs a lot of work, and it may be more accurate to say that he isn’t going to figure out how to play left tackle in the NFL at any point before his current deal with the Giants expires. Quarterback Eli Manning turned 36 years old earlier this year, and he needs better from the position during the twilight of his career.
Replacing Flowers seems easy enough, on paper, especially upon realizing there are several available options in free agency. As Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap recently pointed out, looking to free agency may not be the wisest move for the Giants or for any team desperate for an improvement at left tackle.
Left tackle market is going to be flooded with a bunch of declining vets. Big position of need so interesting to see how salaries shake out
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) February 16, 2017
Andrew Whitworth is a name that immediately comes to mind regarding such discussions. Pro Football Focus ranked Whitworth the second-best left tackle for the 2016 NFL season, and the three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman has seemingly improved with age. Age may be the key word in that sentence, though, as the current member of the Cincinnati Bengals turned 35 years old last December. He may prove to be nothing more than a rent-a-tackle for the Giants if Big Blue looks his way, especially if Father Time wins a victory over Whitworth over the next 12 months.
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According to Spotrac, Whitworth put pen to paper on a deal that earned him $9 million last season, and there isn’t any reason to believe he wouldn’t look for a similar payday following an impressive campaign. The Giants must be smart with how they spend this offseason, as the club isn’t only a left tackle away from winning a Super Bowl next February. New York needs to target a veteran wide receiver, help on the defensive line and at least one running back in free agency.
Whitworth isn’t the only proven left tackle headed for free agency in March. The New York Jets are moving on from Ryan Clady, who was a force on offensive lines in his prime but who has dealt with injury woes during the second half of his career. Jacksonville Jaguars tackle Kelvin Beachum surrendered 49 QB pressures this past season, according to Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus. The Miami Dolphins seem content with allowing Laremy Tunsil to replace Branden Albert after Albert battled through multiple injuries during his three years with the club.
Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas continues to be an intriguing potential alternative for the Giants. The 32-year-old looked his age during portions of the 2016 campaign, but he nevertheless would immediately bolster the New York offensive line. Cleveland, meanwhile, is nowhere near close to winning anything of merit heading into the spring months, and those running the Browns need to think long and hard about what Thomas will be for the club in the latter parts of the decade.
By all accounts, Thomas is comfortable playing out the remainder of his career in Cleveland. His contract does not include a no-trade clause according to Spotrac, though, and the possibility exists the Giants could persuade the Browns to part ways with the lineup mainstay on draft day by making the right offer. Unlike others mentioned here, Thomas has been a reliable and healthy starter since his first day in the NFL.
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Speaking of the draft, the Giants could look at a to-be rookie to fill Flowers’ role at left tackle. A first-round pick may be too high a price for a left tackle this spring, however, as the Giants need to find an active playmaker on either side of the football if the club is to do more than just play in the opening round of the postseason next January. The Giants also aren’t in a position to start (another) project at left tackle come September.
Flowers is still young, of course, and the hope is that he’ll enter summer training camp sessions a new man filled with confidence, improved technique and a zeal for being the best tackle on the roster. New York can’t trust that will happen, even if replacing Flowers via free agency, a trade or the draft isn’t a sure thing.